Wednesday, August 2, 2017

Interview with young adult author Cecily Wolfe

Ceci Wolfe writes whatever her characters tell her to write.
A Harvest of Stars is realistic fiction about two teens dealing with abuse in a
small Kentucky town. Throne of Grace is the first in a series of historical
inspirational romances set in beautiful turn of the century Newport, Rhode
Island. Reckless Treasure is a contemporary drama/romance retelling of a
little-studied Henry James classic. That Night is about teens dealing with the
heroin overdose death of a close friend.

Ceci's stories have been published (under
a different name) in a variety of literary journals.

Welcome, Ceci. Please tell us about your
current release.

The official
blurb: Drug overdoses don't happen
to girls with good grades and athletic prowess, with longtime friends and a
devoted boyfriend. Or do they?

When high school seniors Cassidy and Sarah,
along with Kayla's boyfriend Paul, discover their best friend Kayla unconscious
at a party, the idea that they have lost her to a heroin overdose is
unbelievable. She didn't use drugs, except the pain medicine prescribed for a
soccer injury, and she had no reason to accept any from a stranger. The month
that follows her death is filled with anxiety, sadness, frustration, and
questions. Answers won't bring Kayla back, however, so as Cass and Sarah
struggle with the insensitive but predictable behavior of parents, classmates,
and teachers, Paul falls into a depression that leads him down a dangerous
path. With Kayla's younger sister Mia in mind, the three of them work towards
forging ahead without the girl who has held them together since elementary
school.

What inspired you to write this book?

I was
inspired by my friend’s family’s recent loss of several young adults to heroin
overdoses, which are a big problem in our area. I spent a lot of time talking
to family members about their grief, the reaction of the community, and how
their friends, classmates, and work colleagues acted in light of the knowledge
that the deaths were heroin-related. It was very sad, but an honest look at the
reality of what is happening.

Excerpt from That Night:

(this is from
Kayla’s boyfriend Paul’s perspective, only days after her death)

It was the
first day of their senior year, and if Saturday hadn’t happened, he would be
standing in front of the coffee maker right now, stretching, then searching for
a travel mug that wasn’t dirty to use for his second cup after his first had
been gulped on the way to the bathroom before a shower. Kayla never cared how
he dressed, and he had always enjoyed the advantage he had over so many other
boys with girlfriends who either hassled them for what they wore or bought
clothes for them and dressed them like dolls. Still, he knew that she had a
preference for green to bring out the color in his eyes (is that too romantic,
she would ask, as they whispered together, foreheads touching, their lips just
about to meet), and had several shirts in the hues she preferred. He would be
thinking, as always, of their future, of the next few months as they completed
high school, decided on colleges, as he fought with himself over how to tell
her that he wanted to marry her as soon as she would agree to it. Was it too
much, he would worry, to bring that up? It wasn’t as if he didn’t want her to
earn a degree and enjoy her time in college, find a career she loved, do what
made her happy - he just wanted to be there with her along the way. He wanted
to be a part of what it was that made her happy, and never let her forget how
much she was a part of his own happiness. His mother often mentioned her
concern that he and Kayla were too close, too young to be together so much. He
just figured she was jealous that there was another woman in his life besides
her, and while he was sorry that her own marriage hadn’t worked out, he had his
own life, his own love, now. He had, until Saturday night.

What exciting story are you working on
next?

I am working
on a short story that is part of an anthology coming out this fall – a story
that is an unpublished scene from my 2016 novella, A Harvest of Stars. I am
also working on book two of my Cliff Walk Courtships series, Crown of Beauty, which is due out in
October.

When did you first consider yourself a
writer?

I was 8
when I started writing, and I haven’t looked back!

Do you write full-time? If so, what's
your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find
time to write?

I wish I
could write full-time, but I’m a librarian, which is close. I write early in
the morning, late at night, on weekends and holidays. A half hour here and
there – it all adds up.

What would you say is your interesting
writing quirk?

I eat Cocoa
Puffs. Well, I eat them when I’m not writing, too, so maybe that’s not writing
related. It just seems like I always have a bowl of them in front of me when
I’m writing.

As a child, what did you want to be when
you grew up?

I wanted
to be a ballerina or a writer. So – my hips expanded, but I kept writing.

Anything additional you want to share
with the readers?

Thank you for
reading! I am happy to answer questions and discuss my stories and characters
with readers, especially on Goodreads.

I'm listed!

Blog Tour Partner - Goddess Fish

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About Me

I'm a NH native and love New England. I love writing about the region, exploring it on foot, on my bicycle, and in my car. There are so many small communities and fun and interesting people in this area, that I could be here a lifetime and not do all it is I want to do. :)

I'm a moderator at The Writer's Chatroom that hosts live chats with guest authors on Sunday nights 7-9PM EST. Join the e-mail list to get notifications of upcoming guests, then stop in and join the conversation!